Whitefly spoils leaves on cucumbers - how to save a plant?

Whitefly settles on cucumbers in groups. These are tiny mole-shaped insects, the color of which varies from whitish-yellow to white. The length of the body is not more than 1-1.5 mm. A tiny female lays larvae, in appearance resembling transparent scales of a yellowish tint, approximately 0.3 mm in size.

The insect is a threat to plants. Consider how the whitefly parasitizes on cucumbers and how to deal with it.

Physiological features of the pest

Whiteflies like heat, humidity. For this reason, an insect more often damages plants planted in closed ground than on those that are in open soil. Whitefly is located on the inside of the leaves and rapidly multiplies. Females produce up to 200 eggs in a single cycle.

Important! In the course of their development, whiteflies acquire a wax deposition, forming a strong protective cocoon. It provides insects with resistance to negative environmental influences, including insecticides. That is why the main ways to control the pest are aimed at the destruction of larvae.

The whitefly eats the juice of the leaves of the cucumber - it contains all the elements necessary for its development. Excess juice goes out, on a leaf blade form a shiny, "honey" dew. This plaque becomes a convenient "bridgehead" for fungi and viruses.

The diet of the insect is very diverse. In addition to cucumbers, the whitefly does not mind eating other garden crops: tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, celery, etc.

Symptoms of whiteflies on a plant

If there is a suspicion that the whitefly has settled on cucumbers (the latter grow slowly, wither away), each bush should be carefully examined. The following symptoms are characteristic of the lesion:

• stickiness and whitish spots on the sheets;
• change in the shape and color of leaves (they curl up, fade, fade);
• the appearance of yellow spots with undefined boundaries;
• the presence on the inner surface of the leaves of larvae;
• falling of leaves.

If you touch the bush, white flies from it whitefly moths. In the future, necrotic changes in the leaf plate join.

Attention! A dangerous symptom is the appearance on the sheets of black plaque. It testifies to the development of a sooty fungus. Affected plants need to be removed from the beds, get rid of them by burning.

How to get rid of the parasite insect?

If a whitefly has settled on cucumbers, it quickly builds up its numbers. Individuals multiply intensively, destroy the vegetable crop, and interfere with getting a good harvest.

Advice! You need to deal with pests as early as possible, until they fill the entire garden.

To effectively kill insects of this harmful species, they resort to several methods. Common methods are mechanical, chemical, biological, and parasitic.

Biological (folk) methods

The result can be positive when using this technique in cases where the whitefly population on cucumbers is insignificant. What to apply?

1. Infusion of dandelion (40 grams of leaves + 20 grams of the root of the same plant + 1 liter of water, insist for three hours, strain).Spray with a ready-made solution a plant damaged by a whitefly.
2. Garlic infusion (100 g. Finely chopped garlic + 500 ml of water, insist for five days). A working solution for spraying is obtained by mixing 5 g. tinctures with a liter of water.

Natural ingredients do not harm a person, but eliminate the parasite insect such means can only be in the very early stages of infection.

Mechanical way

The essence of the technique is the mechanical removal of adult individuals and larvae from the affected plant. Places where whiteflies live are gently washed with soapy water.

Good to know! Alkaline mixture also acts detrimental to the "soot" fungus. The pores of the leaves are uncorked, the plant can again fully breathe.

In the greenhouse, sticky tapes against flies or honey-coated flakes (glue, petroleum jelly) are sometimes used to collect the pest.

Chemicals

Chemistry is used if the whitefly is populated massively and it is no longer possible to deal with it by methods that are more gentle. Spray plants with such drugs:

• "Aktara";
• "Detis";
• "Verticillin";
• "Fufanon."

For greater efficiency, soapy water is introduced into the chemical composition. Instead of soap, you can add shampoo. This will extend the duration of the drug.

Parasitic way

Whitefly in nature is hostile to enkarzia. The latter is an insect entomophage, parasitizing whiteflies on eggs. In huge greenhouses, enkarzia pupae are distributed in 5 pieces. per square meter beds. If the whitefly is to be destroyed precisely on cucumbers, the technique is not highly effective, since the villi of the cucumber leaves can create a barrier to the encarzia's contact with the larvae.

Preventive actions

Since the whitefly appears in the greenhouse or in the open bed due to infected seedlings, young plants should be carefully examined before planting to prevent the mass spread of the insect.

A preventive measure is also spraying cucumbers with a solution of a special tool “Bud” (10 g. Of the drug + 10 l of water). The procedure is carried out once every 10 days.

To find out good ways to kill whiteflies, watch the video: